en Kahoku, Yamagata

Kahoku

河北町
Kahoku 河北町
Town
	Flag Seal
	Location of Kahoku in Yamagata Prefecture
	Kahoku
	Coordinates: 38°25′35″N 140°18′52″E / 38.42639°N 140.31444°E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Yamagata
District	Nishimurayama
Area
• Total	52.38 km2 (20.22 sq mi)
Population (February 2020)
• Total	18,301
• Density	350/km2 (900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Flower	Safflower
Phone number	0237-73-2111
Address	81 Yachi, Kahoku-chō, Nishimurayama-gun, Yamagata-ken 999-3511
Website	Official website

Kahoku (河北町, Kahoku-chō) is a town located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. As of 29 February 2020^[update], the town had an estimated population of 19,303,in 6267 households^[1] and a population density of 350 persons per km². The total area of the town is 52.38 square kilometres (20 sq mi).

Geography

Kahoku is located in central Yamagata Prefecture, in a river valley of the Mogami River, with branches of the Ōu Mountains to the east and west.

Neighboring municipalities

Yamagata Prefecture
- Higashine
- Murayama
- Sagae
- Tendō

Climate

Kahoku has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Kahoku is 11.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1461 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.1 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Kahoku has declined over the past 60 years.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1960	25,873	—
1970	22,643	−12.5%
1980	21,880	−3.4%
1990	22,287	+1.9%
2000	21,476	−3.6%
2010	19,959	−7.1%
2020	17,641	−11.6%

History

The area of present-day Kahoku was part of ancient Dewa Province. After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of Nishimurayama District, Yamagata Prefecture. The village of Yachi was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889 and was raised to town status on April 2, 1896. The town of Kahoku was established on April 1, 1954.

Economy

The economy of Kahoku is based on agriculture, notably the growing of cherries. The area was traditionally noted for raising safflowers. Manufacturing of slippers is also an important local industry.

Education

Kahoku has six public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government and one public high schools operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education.